Here it is finally: the new Honda CB750 Hornet. Those who had hoped for an ‘old style’ Hornet with organic round shapes, slim wasp waist, thick four-cylinder engine and exhaust under the ass will be disappointed. The CB750 Hornet is primarily a practical, slender parallel twin for young riders who ‘want something more’, according to Honda.
Those young drivers are then presented with a well-maintained, but also somewhat diminutive looking engine, but perhaps the bar was also set a bit high with us because Honda was so keen on the return of the icon. In the case of the primal Hornet, then you are aiming high in terms of design. Anyway, let’s forget that for a while and focus on what the Hornet does have to offer.
For the record, the 600cc four-cylinder from the CBR600 had not been able to meet the emission standards for a while and so Honda opted for an all-new 755cc parallel twin with single overhead (Unicam) camshaft and a 270° ignition rhythm. The latter should give the traditional somewhat flat character of a standing twin a lively V-twin feeling. In terms of performance, Honda was serious, the Japanese have extracted quite a bit of power from the twin: 92 hp @ 9,500 rpm. That is downright impressive and immediately puts competitors such as the MT-07 and Z650 well behind. Top couple? 75 Nm @ 7,250 rpm. Compare that to a curb weight of 190 kg and it becomes clear that there is more sting in this Hornet than you would expect based on its appearance.
To curb that ability a bit, the Hornet is fairly richly equipped with electronic driver assistance systems. Starting with four riding modes (Sport, Standard, Rain and User), Honda has everything pre-cooked for the first three, and User frees up the rider to fine-tune engine power, engine braking and traction control. There are three levels of Engine Power (EP), two levels of Engine Brake (EB) and three levels of traction control (HSTC).
To serve the young generation, a spacious 5” TFT dashboard offers all kinds of information and, of course, mobile connection is possible via the Honda Smartphone Voice Control system. Like most Hondas these days, the rear direction indicators also start to flash on the Hornet during an emergency stop, but those indicators switch off automatically during normal use. Also pleasant.
When it comes to steering, it seems – as befits a real Hornet – to be fine. The steel frame looks simple, but is lightweight (16.5 kilos) and rests at the front on a 41 mm Showa Big Piston UPSD with a reasonably sharp 25° steering head angle and short 99 mm trail. Up front, spring and damping mechanisms are separated, each in their own fork leg. At the rear we see a fairly modal shock absorber with adjustable spring preload. Honda is not yet talking about possible adjustment options in terms of damping, we will soon find out for you when we test it. Radially mounted four-piston Nissins bite into generous 296mm discs. All in all, ingredients that point to a spicy steering character.
The key question is, of course, what it should cost? The Hornet will be in the showroom at the end of January, from 7,799 euros in Belgium and 8,999 euros in the Netherlands. This puts the Hornet close to direct competitors such as the Z650 and MT-07 … which clearly draw from a different (less filled) barrel in the field of electronics and power.
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